Lance



June 5, 1962 c. w. POWELL 3,037,320

LANCE Filed June 14, 1960 K //0 /2 20 .7 A, I I

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22 /4 INVENTOR F/ 6 C/V/ZQAES 14/. POM/4 51!- AWwM United States Patent Office 3,037,320 Patented June 5, 1962 3,037,320 LANCE Charles W. Powell, 135 Central Ave., West Caldwell, NJ. Filed June 14, 1960, Ser. No. 36,032 1 Claim. (til. 46-1) The present invention relates generally to amusement devices and particularly to an expandible and contractable lance which is useful as a toy.

One of the most desirable features of toy devices in general is the provision of some degree of movement activated by the child playing with the toy. For example, it is well known in the toy industry that it is much more desirable to provide a toy horse which rocks or moves in some direction than to merely provide a rigid model of a true life animal. Similarly, it is desirable to provide a gun having movable parts, such as cocking mechanisms, rotatable bullet chambers or the like.

It is a further desirable and advantageous feature of toy devices to provide a toy which may be utilized by a child individually or may be played with by one child in the company of other children.

It is a further object of a good amusement device to provide a toy which promotes easy stimulus of the childs imagination and which induces the child to develop his own game in which he uses the amusement device.

it is still a further advantage of a desirable amusement device to provide an object having a relatively small shipping size and a relatively low cost, such that it may be handled with ease and is within the price range of the general consumer.

Generally, it is the object of the present invention to provide an amusement device having one or more of the above mentioned advantages as Well as further advantages. Specifically, it is the object of the present invention to provide a toy having desirable playing characteristics.

It is within the contemplation of the present invention to provide an amusement device having movable features.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide an amusement device which may be utilized by a child playing either by himself or with a group of other childreu.

It is further within the contemplation of the present invention to provide an amusement device of relatively low cost and which requires a relatively small amount of room for packaging and storage.

it is a further object of the present invention to provide a toy lance which is extendible and collapsible upon the desire of the child playing with same.

In accordance with an illustrative embodiment demonstrating features of the present invention there is provided a lance which comprises a handle and a telescopic shaft carried by the handle. The telescopic shaft includes a plurality of frusto-conical sections of progressively decreasing cross sections which are disposed one within the other and which are in light frictional contact with each other. The assembly of frusto-conical sections is extendible to provide an elongated conical shaft and is collapsible to provide a foreshortened stub substantially of the length of each individual section. The telescopic shaft is attached at its base to the handle and is adapted to be held, extended and collapsed by the operator holding the lance by its handle.

The above brief description, as well as further objects,

features and advantages of the present invention will be best appreciated by reference to the following detailed description of a presently preferred embodiment, when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein;

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a lance according to the present invention as held in a vertical and collapsed position by a child;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the lance illustrated in FIG. 1 as it is held in a horizontal position after the lance has been extended, and FIG. 2 further shows, in phantom, an intermediate position between its vertical position and its horizontal position as the lance is being extended;

FIG. 3 is an exploded view of the telescopic shaft of the lance;

FIG. 4 is an exploded view of the telescopic shaft of the lance showing the individual sections thereof as they are to be assembled;

PEG. 5 is a sectional view taken along the central axis of the lance according to the present invention and showing the lance in its extended configuration; and,

FIG. 6 is an enlarged sectional view of a lance according to the present invention showing the lance in its collapsed configuration.

Referring now specifically to the drawings, there is shown a toy lance, generally designated by the numeral 16', which comprises a handle portion 12 and a telescopic shaft portion I14. The handle portion 12 includes a cupshaped hand guard 16 at the outer periphery of the handle portion 12, and a hand grip mounting section 18 formed integrally with the cup-shaped hand guard 16. A cylindrical hand grip 20 is rigidly secured to the hand grip mounting section at 22 by appropriate securement means. At the forward end of the handle portion 12, the cupshaped hand guard 16 intersects the hand grip mounting section 18 in an annular intersection. The hand guard '16 extends forwardly and inwardly from this intersection to form a flat wall 2-4- which is perpendicular to the central axis of the handle portion '12. At the edges of the wall 22 is formed an annular shoulder 26 extending forwardly from the wall 22 which is employed to secure the telescoping shaft portion 14 to the annular portion 12 as will be described below.

The telescopic shaft portion 14 is comprised of a series of thin walled frusto-conical sections, there being eight such sections in the present illustrative embodimerit successively designated by the numerals 28, 30, 32, 34-, 36, 38, 40 and 42, section 42 being the section of smaller diameter.

As may be best seen in the sectional view of FIG. 6, shaft section 28, the largest shaft section, is securely attached to the handle portion 12 at the annular shoulder 26 by a suitable adhesive.

The shaft section 28, and each of the other shaft sections 3% through 42, is of a frusto-conical configuration having its largest diameter at the point nearest the handle portion 12 and having its smallest diameter at its end removed therefrom. The walls of the shaft section 28 to 42 are uniform in thickness and are relatively thin as compared with the diameter of the shaft sections. As may be best seen from the exploded view of FIG. 3, the individual frusto-conical shaft sections 28 through 46 may be placed end to end thereby producing an elongated conical body equal in length to the sum of the lengths of the individual shaft sections, the smaller end of each shaft section equalling the diameter of the larger end of the next successive shaft section.

The shaft sections 28 through 42 are assembled in the manner shown in FIG. 4. The smallest shaft section, section 42 is placed with its smaller end projecting into the larger end of the next larger shaft section, section 40. After section 42 has been placed within section 40, the assembly of section 42 and section 4% is then placed within the next successive larger section, section 33. The process of assembling the smaller shaft sections into the next successive larger shaft section are repeated until shaft section 30, through 42 are all contained coaxially within the larger shaft section, section 28. The assembly at that point appears as is shown in the perspective View of FIG. 1 and as is shown in section in FIG. 6.

The completed telescopic shaft portion 14, comprising the shaft sections 28 through 42, is secured to the handle portion :12 by means of appropriate securement means such as an adhesive or an epoxy resin connecting section 28 to the annular flange 26 on the handle portion 12.

A rounded object, such as the ball 44 is secured to the end of the smallest shaft section 42 to provide a blunt tip which will not harm a child while playing with the toy lance 10. In addition, appropriate decorations such as plumes or the tassels 46 which are alfixed to the end of the hand grip 20.

As best seen in FIG. 2 and FIG. 5, the toy lance 10 may be extended from its collapsed position as shown in FIGS. 1 and 6 to its extended position as shown in FIG. 5. The operation of the extension and contraction of the telescopic shaft portion 14 of the toy lance 19 may be appreciated by consideration of the relative movernent between any two of the respective shaft sections, for example, shaft section 28 and shaft section 30. When the toy lance is in its collapsed position, the smaller shaft section 28 is completely contained within the largest shaft section 30, the two shaft sections being coaxially oriented. When it is desired to extend the toy lance, the smaller shaft section 36) is moved outwardly, with respect to the larger shaft section 28, by moving the smaller section 30 away from the handle portion 12. As the smaller section 30 moves outwardly towards the right end, as viewed in FIG, 6, the external surface of the shaft section 30 will engage within the internal surface of the shaft section 28. It will be recalled that the external diameter of the shaft section 28 at its smaller end is equal to the external diameter of the shaft 30 at its larger end, and similarly, the internal diameter r of the shaft 28 at its smaller end is equal to the internal diameter of the shaft section 30 at its larger end. Conversely, the external diameter of the smaller shaft section 30 at its larger end is greater than the internal diameter of section 28 at its smaller end. Therefore, it will be appreciated that when the shaft section 30 is moved outwardly with respect to the shaft section 23, the external diameter of the larger end of shaft section 30 will engage with the internal diameter of the smaller end of the shaft 28. Since the internal diameter of the shaft section 28 at its smaller end is less than the external diameter of the shaft section 30 at its larger end, the difference being the wall thickness of the shaft section, the shaft section 36 will be restrained from moving outwardly beyond the position shown in FIG. 5. Similarly each of the other shaft sections 32 through 42, when moved outwardly with respect to its preceding shaft section, will be engaged within the end of the preceding shaft section and the total telescopic shaft portion 14 will appear as is shown in FIG. of the drawings.

The extension of the telescopic shaft portion 14 of the toy lance may be accomplished by the method as illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2 of the drawings. In FIG. 1 a boy is shown holding the toy lance It) in his right hand, the lance 16 being oriented in a vertical position. As the toy lance 10 is rapidly moved into a horizontal position, in a manner somewhat similar to that of the casting motion employed in surf fishing, the centrifugal force acting upon the internal shaft sections will be effective to move the shaft sections outwardly with respect to the center of the are through which the toy lance 10 is moved and will be effective to urge an outward movement of shaft sections 39 through 42 with respect to the handle portion 12 of the toy lance It). The toy lance Ill will therefore assume a configuration as shown in FIG. 5. It will be appreciated that one or more other methods of extending the toy lance it) from the position as shown in FIGS. 1 and 6 may be employed. Specifically, the toy lance may be held by a hand grip 20 in a horizontal position and may be moved in an axial thrust which will be effective on the quick termination thereof to move the internal shaft sections outwardly with respect to the handle portion 12. Other methods of extending the toy lance 16 will occur on consideration of the particular characteristics of the telescoping shaft portion 14.

It will be appreciated that the various shaft sections 28 through 42 of the telescoping shaft portion 14 will be held in extended position, as shown in FIG. 5, by the frictional engagement of the outer portion of one shaft section with the inner portion with the next successive larger shaft portion. The toy lance 10 may be placed in its extended position and may be used as a lance having all the characteristics of a solid lance except for one important feature. When the person playing with the toy lance 10 thrusts the lance against a solid object, sufficient force will be exerted on each of the shaft sections 28 through 42 to counteract the friction forces which hold the lance It in its extended position. Therefore, such a solid object will be effective to collapse the telescopic shaft portion 14 of the toy lance 10. The collapsing process of the telescopic shaft portion 14 is similar to that which occurs when it is extended, i.e. each of the shaft portions will move towards the handle portion 12 and will be engaged within the confines of the next successively larger shaft portion.

From the foregoing it will be appreciated that the present invention provides a toy lance having attractive features which contribute to the play value of the toy. The toy lance has dynamic characteristics which enable a child to play with the lance in a variety of differing ways and in a variety of manners. It will be further appreciated that although the toy lance is generally based upon a weapon of warfare designed to inflict injuries, the present toy lance may not so injure a childs playmate because of the collapsible feature of the lance which acts to collapse the lance when any significant amount of pressure is placed on the tip thereof.

A latitude of modification, substitution and change is intended in the foregoing disclosure and in some instances some features of the invention will be used without a use of other corresponding features. Accordingly, the claims herein should be construed broadly and in a manner consistent with the spirit and scope of the invention.

What I claim is:

A collapsible toy lance comprising a handle portion and a collapsible shaft portion, said handle portion including a hand grip and a cup-shaped hand guard secured to said hand grip and overlying at least part of said hand grip, said shaft portion being secured to said hand guard, said shaft portion including a plurality of thin-walled, frustro-conical sections of successively decreasing diameters, the first and largest of said conical sections being secured, at its larger end, to said handle portion and each successively smaller conical section positioned coaxially therein with their respective smaller ends positioned away from said handle portion, said conical sections being movable from a collapsed position wherein said shaft portion is substantially the length of and entirely contained within said first conical section to an extended position, friction means to hold said shaft portion in its extended position including the outer surfaces of said conical sections at their larger ends, said surfaces of adjacent conical sections coacting in light frictional engagement to hold said shaft portion in said extended position, said shaft portion being collapsible by the exertion of an axial force thereon to break said light frictional engagement, and a blunt body positiond at the forward and smaller end of the smallest conical section.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Mitchell June 27, 1905 Boyd Apr. 24, 1956 Macy Apr. 2, 1957 Zalkind Aug. 20, 1957 Shaffer Mar. 18, 1958 Faber et al. Feb. 24, 1959 

